Star Trek: Bonaventure Season 1
by Tiberius The First
Summary: This is a new series starring an all new crew in brand new adventures! Set in the original pre 2009 movie universe in the year 2409, this crew has to face new dangers as well as explore the mysteries of the galaxy. This is season 1. Episodes/chaps : 1-22
1. Ulysses, Part I

**(See my profile for details on how these are formatted, but for newcomers, here's the place to start. It's a whole new set of characters to read about.)**

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><p><strong>"Ulysses, Part I"<br>**

_Captain's log, Stardate: 86028.8, Before we head out to the Beta Quadrant, we have stopped by Earth to refuel and to pick up some new crewmen. The Bonny-V's been newly commissioned, but she carries a pretty old name and tradition and she needs new blood to keep her going. It also leaves me to reflect on our current crew. It's a pretty distinctive crew, and I've worked to keep it that way. If what I'm planning works out . . . it might just save us from war. But I do trust my crew. When you're out in the unknown, anything could happen, and you need the variations of mind and experience. I am, however, worried about how current events will affect the crew. Relations with the Klingon Empire have begun to break down, and we've never been on good terms with the Romulans. I'm worried if our varied ship of officers, which includes a Klingon and two Romulans, will ultimately work together well or not. I can sense the tension rising. Especially after the events that happened on the USS Dakota . . ."_

_... ... ... ... ...  
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It was about 1300 hours on the _Bonaventure_. Ten-Forward was especially busy. The XO set up different shifts, so people could enjoy the trip back to Earth. The Bartender smiled at her customers. Not that they actually bought the drinks, but she enjoyed serving them nonetheless. And the view of Earth from the windows as the Bonaventure orbited was amazing. Dhurvyn th'Loran walked into Ten-Forward. Seeing him, she automatically grabbed a glass and filled it with water. He was off duty, but he rarely drank alcohol. He walked up to the bar.

"I'll have-." He started, but she placed the glass in front of him. He smiled, and took the glass from her. He started to walk towards the window. He passed a group of crewmen who were laughing hysterically. He could see they were drunk. He rolled his eyes. _"Humans!"_ He thought. Then one of the men got up, still laughing, and fell backward onto th'Loran. They picked themselves up. Th'Loran saw it was a Vulcan. The Vulcan was drunk. Now that was a laughable concept. The Vulcan sneered.

"Watch where you're going, Andorian." The Vulcan said. Th'Loran held his hand out.

"Hey sorry, but-." Th'Loran was sent to the floor by the Vulcan's hand. Everyone was gathered around now, watching. Th'Loran got back up. The Vulcan hit him, again. This sent the Andorian to the floor. That's when he got mad. Th'Loran picked up a chair, and swung it to meet his attacker. The Vulcan ducked, and the chair hit another crewman sitting at the table. This crewman went down, but his friend came at Th'Loran. Then the attacker was blocked by a fellow engineer of th'Loran's.

Then the brawl spread to the rest of Ten-Forward. Crewmen would walk up to other crewmates and begin swinging at them. In the back, the Andorian had picked up another chair and he brought it down onto the back of another crewman. The fight began to spread. Obviously the tension had been waiting, ready to unleash. The bartender watched, bemused. Of course she had had bar fights before, but this was starting to get out of hand. _"Men!"_ she thought. She continued to stare as some people were knocked out cold. She silently walked over to a comm. panel and pressed a button. She saw some crewmen, the less drunk or emotional, hiding under tables. She then saw someone enter Ten Forward.

James Austin was off duty. He liked his job, but it could be stressful, and it was relaxing to escape it. So, even though he wasn't on the Holodeck, he preferred to wear his cowboy hat. It had been passed through his family, and he wore it proudly. He walked into Ten-Forward holding a tray of food and a reading padd. He was currently reading an old adventure in the Wild West. But he walked in between the fighting, unaware, wrapped up in what he was reading. Suddenly, something flew over his head and knocked his hat off. Austin looked up and saw the fighting. He narrowed his eyes. Then, he walked over to a table in the center of Ten-Forward. He slammed his food tray on the table, pulled out his side-arm, checked it's setting, and fired upward. A large CRACK pierced the air. Most of the fighting ended there, but there was still some action going on near the back.

"Stand down!" Austin ordered. He fired again. The fighting stopped. "I said stand down! Now that's enough! I don't care if you are having problems with each other. You are Starfleet officers, so act like it! If you want to fight, I'll show you fifteen generations of Texas Marine. Otherwise, you'd better clear out of here. Dismissed!" People immediately began to clear out of Ten-Forward. Austin walked over, picked up his hat and placed it back on his head. Security Chief George Teague walked in a minute later, phaser drawn.

"Is there a problem in here?" He asked. Austin shook his head.

"No sir." He said, and went back to reading his padd.

... ... ... ... ...

Ensign Braxton Rickert was walking to transporter room 4. He had just received his assignment. He was to take the lead Mission OPS position for the U.S.S. Bonaventure. He passed another Ensign in the hallway. The Tellarite, named Belthaar was in his graduating class. They had been close, but they knew their careers in Starfleet would split them.

"So where have you been? A lot of us have been assigned and shipped out." Belthaar said.

"I was in a meeting with my Godfather." Rickert replied.

"Admiral Donaldson?" Belthaar asked. Rickert nodded.

"A kind of send off before my assignment." Rickert told him.

"I see." Belthaar said.

"So where are you assigned?" Rickert asked.

"The U.S.S. Bonaventure." Belthaar said.

"Hey! Me too." Rickert replied enthusiastically. "I hear that the captain is real odd, you know? One of those old seasoned God-like captains. And a Romulan for a XO? I don't know, it sounds real exciting!" They both reached the transporter room. The chief at the console looked up.

"Finally!" He barked. "We've been waiting for you for ten minutes!" The two ensigns apologized and climbed on the transporter pad with four other ensigns. The man behind the console hit his comm badge.

"Starfleet Academy to Bonaventure transporter room." He called.

"Transporter room one here!" Came the reply.

"This is the last batch of ensigns, ready to beam up!"

"Standby." Came the response. "Energize!" The man pressed some buttons and the six ensigns dematerialized. They rematerialized in another transporter room. The chief behind the console tapped his badge.

"Bonaventure to Academy transporter room. I have them. Bonaventure out!" The red-headed chief turned to a blond-headed Commander standing beside him. Actually, there were three other people in the transporter room.

"All new crewmen are on board Commander Marriman." The red-head chief said. Commander Marriman nodded.

"Notify the XO we're ready to head out." Marriman said. The chief hesitated.

"What?" Marriman asked.

"Nothing. It's just . . . the XO is out flying Continuous Air Patrol." The chief reported. Meanwhile, the other crewmen were calling the ensigns off the transporter pad. Belthaar nodded at Rickert before joining a tall Klingon Woman. They all left. Rickert was the only one left on the pad.

"On CAP? We're at Earth!" Marriman exclaimed. The chief winced.

"Yes sir, from what I heard, the DCAG and the XO decided on a flyby of Earth before we headed out." The chief told him.

"Who's on the bridge then?" Marriman asked. Rickert watched the two patiently.

"Lieutenant Teague sir." The chief replied. Marriman nodded.

"Thank you. Commander Marriman to bridge." Marriman said.

"Bridge here!" Came the response.

"Lieutenant Teague, take us out, and please suggest to Captain Rizzo that he land before we do so." Marriman said, with a hard tone of annoyance.

"Aye sir!" Came the reply.

"Marriman out." The conversation ended. Marriman nodded once at the chief before turning to face Rickert. Marriman's mask of annoyance was replaced with that of friendly welcome. He stepped up to the pad, and offered his hand. Rickert clasped it, and followed him off the pad.

"I assume you are Ensign Rickert, my new Lead Mission OPS officer?" Marriman asked. Rickert nodded.

"Good, I am Commander Joseph Marriman, the Operations Manager on board the Bonaventure. Welcome." Marriman said. Then he turned around and marched out of the transporter room. Rickert stared after Marriman as he rounded a corner. Marriman then turned back around the same corner, and looked at Rickert.

"Well? Are you coming?" Marriman asked. Rickert nodded and walked briskly to catch up to Marriman.

"Okay." Marriman said, as they walked the ship. "You are going to be my Lead Mission Ops. This means you will be my right hand man. Lead Mission Ops is over a team of people, who will meet with you and you with me. This is comparable to Department heads meeting with the Captain. But also you will manage all secondary missions and allocate resources. You will communicate with Away teams and report to bridge of any problems. You will coordinate with me constantly, keeping me informed. I will handle primary missions, but sometimes you will have to. And even you will relieve me when I am on a mission or off duty. During emergencies, you will also help the tactical station. Most of this was probably explained to you or given to you, but I thought just in case." Rickert nodded. "We're going to be working close from now on, so if you have a question, don't be afraid to ask me." Rickert nodded again. Marriman regarded him oddly. "Do you say anything?"

"Of course!" Rickert said enthusiastically. He was like a pent up bottle of questions that had just broken free. "What kind of missions do we go on? How long have you been on the ship? What is this ship like? I want to see all of it!" Marriman laughed.

"It seems I opened Pandora's Box." Marriman said between chuckles. "Well, you're lucky. It's a while before I go back on active duty, so I'd thought I'd show you around the place." Rickert grinned. Marriman stopped in front of a door. It opened. Rickert realized he was looking into the engineering room of the Bonaventure.

The warp core pulsed as they stepped into the room. Rickert saw half a dozen engineers walking around, going about their business. Rickert even saw the Klingon woman explaining something to Belthaar. Belthaar saw him, and waved a little. Then he cringed as the Klingon woman scolded him for not paying attention. Rickert stared at the tall Klingon woman. She was of a towering height and built. Marriman saw Rickert staring at her.

"Didn't expect to see her did you?" Marriman said. "Her name is Ensign K'trava Septaric. I wouldn't cross her if I were you. She may be Starfleet, but she's still a Klingon." Marriman laughed. Then they saw an Andorian approach them.

"Ah, Chief Engineer Dhurvyn th'Loran." Marriman said. He indicated to Rickert. "This is Ensign Rickert, my new Mission OPS officer." The Andorian regarded Rickert for a second, nodded at him, and then completely ignored him.

"Commander." The Andorian said. "When we reached Earth, you said I would get time to work on the fighter bays. I can't do that when they're launching fighters." He said with an inflection on the last two words. Marriman nodded.

"I know. I plan to talk to the Captain about that." Marriman said. The Andorian nodded.

"Make sure you do! Commander . . . ensign." He said. Marriman led Rickert out. Rickert looked back at the Andorian. The Chief Engineer turned and looked at one of his men, working at a panel. Suddenly, the panel sparked and the worker backed up.

"Careful!" The Chief Engineer said. "Do you want to cause a Warp Core Breach?"

"I'm sorry sir. But this configuration is faulty, it's been tampered with." The ensign said.

"Let me see." The engineer said. He examined the handiwork behind the panel.

"Mooso!" The Andorian cried out. A man stepped down beside the Andorian. He was a quirky man, Rickert could tell by his expression.

"Yes?" Mooso asked.

"What did you do to this panel?" th'Loran asked.

"I made it better." The man said simply. The Andorian looked at him like he was going to strangle him.

The door closed behind Rickert and Marriman.

"That's odd." Marriman said, staring at the door. "He's sometimes on edge, but not that much. Something must have happened earlier. Maybe it was Mooso."

"Who is Mooso?" Rickert asked.

"Mooso is a noncom. He's well . . . odd. But he does know his stuff. He is always tampering with things, making them work more efficient, but it gets on Chief Engineer th'Loran's nerves." Rickert nodded. Marriman smiled again.

"Okay, what's next?" He asked hypothetically, leading Rickert down the hallway.

... ... ... ... ...

Captain Scott Gibson sighed, his hand rubbing the bridge of his nose. The Bartender sat in front of him in his ready room, looking at him innocently. She looked around the room. It was a warm place. It had a library shelf full of books, and a sofa on which to relax, but he sat at his desk in front of her.

"So you knew some of them were pretty much drunk." He said. She nodded. She was a fairly young woman, but you could tell she had wisdom and some experience in her. Something in her eyes twinkled, as if laughing at a silent joke.

"And why did you let them continue drinking? Why weren't they drinking synthehol to begin with?" He asked. She smiled at him again.

"Captain, we were back at Earth, about to make another stab into the unknown. It was a time to celebrate. Of course I brought out the good stuff. Besides. . ." She wrinkled her nose. "I don't allow Synthehol in my bar. I'll deal with virgin drinks and regulars, but no _Synthehol._ Nasty abomination that stuff is. AND. . . . You can't exactly blame me for the incident. You know tensions are running high on your ship . . . or are you too disconnected to notice?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" He snapped.

"Captain, when was the last time you came down for a drink? When was the last time you had a normal conversation with one of your crew? I can't think of any. And I've been here for a while now. For some reason, you disconnect yourself from people. Your crew doesn't know who you are; they only trust you because they have to. They're intimidated by you. You scare them." She said.

"Perhaps they need to be scared and intimidated. It keeps them in line." He said.

"Not if you overdo it." She replied. She smiled at his bitter face.

"What do I know? I'm just a lousy barkeep. I'll try not to let them drink too much." She said. He nodded.

"Make sure you do that." He said. She nodded, and turned to leave. The door opened.

"Oh Captain?" She said turning around. He looked up.

"If you get the chance, just come on down. I'll buy you a drink." She said. She then left. Gibson sat back, lost in thought.

... ... ... ... ...

Marriman and Rickert stopped in the landing bays.

"This is where our fighters land. They provide us escort and protection depending on the circumstance." Marriman said. They then saw a Romulan leading a man, both in flight suits down the hanger bay. "Hold on. . . Captain!" He called out. The Romulan stopped. He then walked towards them.

"Yes Commander?" The Romulan asked.

"I had the hanger bays closed off so Chief Engineer th'Loran could work on them. Why did you launch fighters then?" Marriman asked. The Romulan's eyes flared.

"Be careful how you speak to me, _commander._" The Romulan said. Marriman glanced over at Rickert.

"Can I speak to you over here _sir_?" Marriman asked. The Romulan nodded, and they walked across the hanger to talk. Rickert found himself beside a tall stocky man.

"Hey man." The man said, patting him on the back as if they were good friends. "What's your name?" Rickert swallowed nervously.

"I'm Braxton Rickert." Rickert said. The man thought a moment.

"I like that. Braxton Rickert. It's a very good name. It fits well with a rank. Ensign Braxton Rickert. Lieutenant Braxton Rickert. Captain Braxton Rickert!" He exclaimed. Rickert laughed along with the man. He held out his hand.

"I'm Lieutenant Commander James Austin. I'm the DCAG of the ship, and I lead the 'Black Knights' squadron." Austin said.

"DCAG?" Rickert asked.

"Deputy CAG. It's a kind of Assistant to the CAG. That stands for Commander of the Air Group. I run all of the everyday tasks he can't." Austin said.

"He?" I asked. Austin gestured toward the two officers across the hanger deck with a nod of his head.

"That's the CAG, Captain Chuck Rizzo. He's also the XO on the ship." Austin said. Rickert turned to stare at the two. They were in a heated argument.

"So what are you here for?" Austin asked.

"I'm the new mission ops." Rickert said. Austin laughed.

"Good. I hope you're up for it. We get some wacky stuff out here. You need to be as focused as Pappy Boyington" Austin said.

"Who?" Rickert asked. Austin's eyes widened.

"You don't know who that is?" Austin asked. Rickert shook his head. "Don't let Admiral Les Rickard hear that. He'll kick you off the ship." Austin laughed as Rickert's eyes widened.

"Just come on by one day, and I'll educate you on the basic history of Fighter Pilots." Austin said. Marriman and Rizzo returned; both looked angry and frustrated.

"Let's go." Marriman said angrily, and he walked off. Rickert nodded at the two pilots, and rushed to join the leaving Commander. They kept walking in silence. Rickert could feel Marriman's annoyance spreading out from him. They kept walking until they reached a door. It opened, and Rickert recognized Sickbay. Marriman walked in.

"Joseph!" A woman exclaimed. Rickert saw she was in a wheelchair. This woman was short, had light brown hair, and two smiling bright eyes. She wheeled herself over to greet the two newcomers.

"Doctor, can I go and cool down in your office?" Marriman asked. The woman nodded. He walked past her and into her office. She smiled.

"He doesn't usually get that hot tempered. That's why he left. He needs to just cool down for a bit. What happened?" She asked.

"He got in a heated conversation with the XO." He said. The woman nodded.

"So who are you?" She asked, smiling.

"I'm Braxton Rickert, the new Lead Mission ops officer." Rickert said.

"Good. I'm Onshara, the Chief Medical Officer." She said. "So Braxton, how do you like our ship so far?"

"It's great! There are so many interesting people. I see a variety of people, and it's exciting! I've never been on a ship before, but I love it!" He said, grinning from ear to ear. She nodded.

"We do have an assortment of people. Young, old, small, big, loud, quiet. We have newcomers, ancients, some noncoms, and the timeless people. We have it all." She said. He looked her weird.

"What do you mean timeless people?" Rickert asked. She laughed once.

"Well, there are certain people, through accident or by design, that are timeless. They have been around for decades, never getting older. Watching people pass away and gaining new friends. They are timeless. They have no age. Some have moved back and forth through time to here. There are those like that and more on the Bonaventure." She told him.

"Like Montgomery Scott of the Enterprise? He came here through a transporter. Or Dr. McCoy, who's like a hundred and fifty now." He asked, excitedly. She nodded and smiled.

"You know, I like you. You're a good kid." She said. Then the doors opened behind her. Captain Scott Gibson walked in. He was tall, with graying hair, and he looked mean. Rickert had heard some stories about him, but still, this guy looked untouchable.

"Doctor Onshara, did you get the new staff from the Academy okay?" He asked.

"Yes sir." She replied. He nodded.

"Have you seen Captain Rizzo?" He asked. Onshara nodded.

"He's on the Hanger bay." Onshara said. Gibson headed for the door.

"Captain?" Onshara asked. He turned around.

"Have you met our new Lead Mission Ops officer?" She asked. He shook his head. "This is Ensign Braxton Rickert."

"Yes, Admiral Donaldson assigned you here." Gibson said his tone uninterested. Rickert nodded. "He told me you can do the job well. Are you up for it?" Rickert smiled and nodded again.

"Yes sir! I am ready to do whatever you need me to." Rickert said energetically. Gibson laughed bitterly.

"I used to be just like you: eager, excited. I was so ready; my enthusiasm alone could have propelled the warp drive. But when you get to be my age, you realize . . . it's not enough. Enthusiasm can't save your family, friends or ship. It doesn't matter." Gibson said.

"With all due respect," Rickert said. "You don't look that old." The captain's smile fades.

"I'm older than one would think." He said. He walked through the door.

"What was that about?" Rickert asked.

"You know some of those people I was telling you about? The timeless ones?" Onshara asked.

"Yeah." Rickert said.

"He's one of them." She revealed. Rickert turned back to look at her, but before Rickert could ask any questions, some of her staff came through the door opened.

"Ah, there you are." Onshara said. "Braxton, this is Rene, Jill, and Cat. They are the medical department. Ladies, this is Braxton Rickert, our new Mission ops officer." They all nodded toward him, and went about their duties. "You might see my husband about. Goodness knows where he is." Onshara said. The door opened again.

"Doctor Onshara, I need those files on the Rilugians." A young Romulan woman said, as she walked into the doorway. Diane nodded, and reached for a file, handing to her.

"Braxton Rickert, this is our Xenobiologist, Elizabeth Carrington." Onshara said.

"Like Starfleet Commander, Audrey Carrington?" Rickert blurted. The Romulan smiled a very beautiful smile.

"She's my adoptive aunt." The Romulan said. Then she smiled at the both of them and left. Onshara smiled at the ensign beside her.

"Ensign, you can close your mouth now." She said. Rickert blushed, and did so.

"She's a Romulan too?" Rickert asked. The Doctor nodded.

"There's three Romulans in Starfleet, and we have two of them." The doctor said. The door to her office opened behind them. Marriman stepped out, his anger and frustration gone.

"Sorry about that." He said. "I can usually handle stress and frustration really well, but when I can't, I need to be isolated and process the feelings. Thanks for waiting."

"No problem." Dr. Onshara said. "I'll see you both later." Marriman and Rickert walked out.

"That was fast!" Rickert exclaimed. Marriman laughed.

"You've never been in her office have you? It has a very calming effect. Don't ask why though. Onshara likes to keep her secrets. But she's a good person. Or whatever she is." He said. Rickert looked up at him.

"She's not human? She looks human." Rickert said. Marriman looked at him.

"Between you and me. I don't think she is. . ."

... ... ... ... ...

"Captain!" Rizzo heard, and he turned. He was in one of the corridors of the ship heading for his quarters. Captain Gibson walked over to the Romulan.

"Yes sir?" Rizzo asked.

"You flew Continuous Air Patrol at Earth against orders. This delayed much needed repairs to the hanger bays. What if we're in an emergency? What if the launching tubes malfunction, and blow half the ship up? Do you ever think?" Gibson demanded.

"Aye sir, every day." Rizzo responded.

"Then why must you continue to disobey orders and cause needless harm?" Gibson said. Rizzo started to walk again.

"Relax." He said. "It was just a little fun before we set out. The hangar bays are not being used now, Chief Engineer th'Loran can make the upgrades." Gibson grabbed him by the arm and turned him around.

"That is NOT the point. The point is you following orders. I don't even know if I can trust you to run the ship in an emergency. It's a good thing I never go on away missions!" Gibson said. Rizzo stood there as if slapped.

"You don't trust me." Rizzo said finally.

"Of course I don't trust you. Not with all the stunts you try to pull." Gibson said.

"Why don't you just say what this is all about?" Rizzo asked. Gibson narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"If anybody else did this, you wouldn't have a problem with them. This has to do with me, of what I am. It's because I'm Romulan, isn't it?" Rizzo asked.

"How dare you!" Gibson said. "You accuse me of discrimination?"

"No, I accuse you of racism." Rizzo said pointedly. Gibson got in the Romulan's face.

"Careful, _Executive Officer._" Gibson said, fury blazing in his eyes. "I might have you in front of a court martial for insubordination. Your rank and abilities are the only thing that's keeping me from that. Now, you will go now, and cool off. I don't want any more funny business. Is that clear?" The Romulan slowly nodded.

"Dismissed!" Gibson said. The Romulan walked away. The Captain sighed, and tried to calm himself. He had lost control. That wouldn't work in his favor. He wasn't prejudice against Romulans, he just didn't trust them. The Captain frowned. He wasn't helping the situation at all.

"Commander Johnson to Captain Gibson." He heard from his commbadge. He tapped it in response.

"Gibson here." He reported.

"Sir, we're receiving a priority one communication from Starfleet. It's Admiral Les Rickard sir." Johnson said.

"I'll take it in my quarters. It's closer." Gibson said.

"Aye sir." Johnson said.

... ... ... ... ...

"And finally . . . The bridge." Marriman said. They walked off the turbolift. The command chair turned. The Lieutenant in it stood up. He was of medium height, with dirty blond hair that came down to his eyebrows. He had a slightly tan complexion and lime green eyes.

"Commander. . ." He said, respectfully. Marriman held up a hand, stopping him.

"Easy Lieutenant. You still have the Conn; I'm just showing the ensign here around the bridge." Marriman said. He turned to Rickert.

"That's George Teague, our Tactical officer, and Chief of security. Beside him is the assistant chief, Stephanie Roane." Marriman said, and then he turned to each bridge officer.

"That's our helm officer, Ensign Hannah Yelner. And that's Commander Johnson, of Communications. That's Ensign James Watson, our Geologist, and Ensign Gordon Craighead, of counterintelligence." He said, finishing.

"I bet you know Craighead, he's married to our CMO." Marriman said. So that was what she meant by her husband running around.

"Well, I guess you want to get accustomed to your new post." Marriman led Rickert over to the Ops position. The ensign there left immediately.

"Your actual post is at the back of the bridge, but you'll be talking over for me sometimes." Marriman said.

"Am I ever going to go on away missions?" Rickert asked eagerly. Marriman looked at him.

"Is that what you want to do?" Marriman asked. Rickert nodded.

"I guess I'll talk to the captain about it. But for now, look over the controls. See that-." Marriman was interrupted by:

"All Department heads report to the briefing room." The captain's voice rang throughout the ship. Marriman looked up at the sound.

"I have to go. You look at these controls, familiarize yourself with the station. I'll be back when I can. I trust you can find your own quarters?" Marriman asked. Rickert nodded. Marriman then left.

... ... ... ... ...

"Okay people, we have a situation." Gibson said. The command staff was gathered around the table. It was Captains Gibson and Rizzo. There was also CMO Onshara, Chief Engineer th'Loran, Chief of Security Teague, Commander Marriman, and the science officer.

"Admiral Rickard just finished talking to me. There's a problem." He said. He pressed a few buttons. A diagram of a station popped up. It was a pretty small station, with landing pads, bays and doors. It also had two nacelles on it. "This is the prototype station, the 'Ulysses'. It can hold a compliment of two thousand; it has four squadrons of fighters, and a limited warp capability." He said. "But there's been a problem. Two days ago, Starfleet lost all contact with the _Ulysses_. They've had little contact with who's running it, but they can tell it's a male Cartutian, and that's it. We don't know anything more about any other crew. It's not like he needs a crew though. The _Ulysses_ has been programmed so it can run with little help. It can control it's fighters by itself, and has a limited A.I. to run operations." Gibson finished.

"So Captain," Marriman said. "What is the problem?" Gibson sighed.

"The _Ulysses_ has raised shields and armed weapons. It's on a direct course for the Klingon-Romulan border. We think it's going to attack. Our orders are to try and stop it and the Cartutian onboard before he arrives at the neutral zone. He may not be that dangerous, but that artificial intelligence is programmed to defend itself. It can take out several Romulan and Klingon ships before being destroyed itself. If that happens, there will be war." Gibson said. All the officers exchanged glances. "So you see; we have to avoid this at all costs. We cannot allow there to be war." Gibson said.

"And if we can't convince him to stop?" Dr. Onshara asked. Gibson looked at her darkly.

"Then we engage him and destroy him. . ." Gibson said. All officers exchanged glances again. What was one life in the face of one thousand or a million? War had to be avoided. At all cost . . . .

**TO BE CONTINUED. . .**


	2. Ulysses, Part II

**(Part II of II. Please read part I before continuing.)**

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><p><strong>"Ulysses, Part II"<strong>_  
><em>

_Captain's Log: We have set an intercept course with the Ulysses. We can reach it at about five hours before it violates the neutral zone. I've put the ship on yellow alert for now. We need to be ready for whatever occurs, but I'm worried if we will be forced to do what's necessary. I've also ordered all squadrons to be ready for immediate launch and for Dr. Onshara to be ready to receive casualties. If we can't stop the Ulysses, there will be war . . ._

_... ... ... ... ...  
><em>

"Approaching the Ulysses now." Marriman reported. They were all on the bridge now. Marriman and Yelner were at the front stations, there was Teague at Tactical, and the other officers at their stations. The captain was at his customary place on the bridge. The only people missing were Chief Engineer th'Loran, Chief Medical Officer Onshara, and the XO, who was prepped to launch with the fighter pilots.

"Hail them." Gibson said.

"USS Bonaventure to the Ulysses. Come in! USS Bonaventure to the Ulysses. Please respond!" Communications officer Johnson said into his mouthpiece.

"Ulysses here, Bonaventure. What can I do you for?" Came the response. It was audio only. Johnson turned to the Captain and nodded.

"Ulysses, this is Captain Scott Gibson of the USS Bonaventure. Ten hours ago, you ceased all contact with Starfleet and her corresponding ships, and have set a course for the neutral zone. Is there a problem with your computers or system?" Gibson asked.

"No Captain. We are working at peak efficiency." Came the reply.

"Then why have you set a course for the neutral zone?" Gibson asked his eyes hard.

"So I can take out as many as many Klingons and Romulans as I can." The reply came. Several bridge officers exchanged glances. Gibson made a slashing motion at his neck. Dan Johnson cut the communication.

"Helm, match their course and speed. Tactical, scan the ship." Gibson ordered. Rickert had already done so at his station in the back. He sent the results to the Tactical Panel.

"I'm reading one life sign: it's Cartutian. The station is armed. It has a dozen phaser banks, and fourteen torpedo tubes. There are seven launching stations for fighters." Teague reported.

"Okay. Arm phasers on engines only, and prepare to fire." Gibson ordered.

"Aye." Teague said, pressing buttons.

"Put me back on with him." Gibson said to Johnson. Johnson pressed a few buttons, and nodded.

"This is Captain Gibson; may I ask whom I'm speaking to?" Gibson asked. There was a pause.

"My name is Senfur Werilirh. Most call me Senfur." Senfur said.

"Okay, Senfur, you realize I have to stop you from causing war. By any means necessary." Gibson said. There was another pause.

"You can try. But I will regret destroying a Starfleet ship." Senfur said. There was a beep.

"He's cut off the communication, sir." Johnson reported.

"He's slowing down to impulse." Marriman said.

"Match it." Gibson ordered. He could feel the ship slowing down. He was afraid it would come to this. "Gibson to Rizzo, launch all squadrons!"

"All fighters away!" Teague reported.

"He's launching fighters as well." Marriman reported. "I'm not scanning any life forms inside the fighters, much less life signs."

"Captain," The science officer said. "The fighters could be automatically controlled by the artificial intelligence on the Ulysses." Gibson nodded. He turned to Teague.

"Raise shields and arm weapons." Gibson ordered. On the screen he saw the fighters racing toward the _Ulysses_. He heard the XO giving orders not to fire first. The _Ulysses_ then fired and hit the Bonaventure broadside. Gibson ordered a return fire. The fighters in between them began to clash. There were explosions everywhere, but he couldn't tell who was losing more fighters, them or the Cartutian's.

"This is impossible!" He heard from one of the fighters. "We can't fight a computer controlled fighter!"

"Easy there. We'll just have to out think the machine." Rizzo said. Another torpedo volley hit the Bonaventure. Two phaser blasts hit the Bonaventure in the front.

"Report!" Gibson demanded.

"Starboard shields down to 60%. Forward shields buckling." Teague reported. "The Ulysses has sustained minimal damage." Another hit rocked the ship.

"Divert power from the engines to the shields!" Gibson ordered.

"Aye! Marriman said.

"Lieutenant Teague!" Rickert reported. "There's a fighter heading this way on a suicide mission. Its systems are overloading. It's going to explode!"

"Tactical, destroy that fighter." Gibson ordered.

"Too late!" Teague said. The fighter traveled right to the forward shields and exploded. The ship rocked. The bridge nearly exploded. People flew everywhere. Gibson barely stayed in the captain's chair. There was a moment of silence as everyone picked themselves up. Ensign Yelner was lying on the floor, badly burned. Marriman ran over and checked her pulse carefully.

"Computer, prepare for site to site transport." Gibson said. Marriman shook his head.

"No, she needs to be stabilized first." Marriman said. "Computer, activate the EMH." Immediately, a man materialized. He stated in a clear voice:

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency."

"It's Yelner. She's badly burned." Marriman said, and then got out of the way to let the EMH through. The EMH got right to work. Gibson looked at the screen to see the _Ulysses_ facing off, but it had stopped firing.

"Report!" Gibson called out. The bridge was darker and sparks flew out of broken panels. Smoke had been flowing onto the bridge until someone closed the vent off.

Marriman walked over to an undamaged panel. He typed at the panel.

"Sir, forward shields are down, the main computer is offline, and forward phasers are inoperable." Marriman reported. Gibson stared at him.

"How can we have so much damage?" Rickert asked. Marriman turned to look at him.

"The Ulysses is an experimental station. It was built to be able to defend itself against several warships at once. One ship presents no problem to its firepower. I'm surprised we've survived this long." Marriman said. Gibson nodded. Johnson turned in his chair.

"Sir, we're being hailed." Johnson said. Gibson sat back in his seat. He nodded to Johnson, who pressed a few buttons at his seat. The Cartutian's face appeared onscreen.

"Captain . . . I'm offering you the chance at surrender. You must know you can't win. I have superior firepower. But, I will spare your ship and crew if you beam over." Senfur said.

"Me?" Gibson asked. Senfur nodded.

"Of course. What other Starfleet vessel will challenge me with one of its captains as my hostage? You will let me safely travel to the neutral zone. I'll expect you within ten minutes or I'm destroying your ship. Also captain, I would advise your pilots cease fire. I wouldn't want any more people to die." Senfur said. The view screen went blank. Gibson stared at it for a moment, and then said:

"Tell Rizzo to cease fire. Engineering, this is the bridge."

"Engineering here Captain." Th'Loran's voice cried.

"How long do you need to repair the shields?" Gibson asked. He heard th'Loran sigh.

"Captain, it should take about two hours. It may look bad now, and that Kamikaze fighter did a lot of damage, but it's nothing we can't handle. I'll keep working on it" Th'Loran said. Gibson turned to Marriman.

"And the main computer?" he asked. Marriman typed at the OPS station.

"It will take some work to restore it, but I think Ensign Franklin in Computer OPS and I can manage it." Gibson frowned. Then they heard the XO's voice over the comm system.

"Captain, there's a limited window where his shields will be down to beam you over. I can land the fighter and-." Rizzo began, but was cut off.

"No Captain, report back to the ship." Gibson ordered.

"But Sir-." Rizzo began again.

"That's an order, Rizzo." Gibson said pointedly. Rizzo sighed.

"Fine." He said. The voice fell silent. Gibson turned back to the bridge crew.

"I'm going over there, but we're also going to beam over a team to take it out from the inside. Ensign Roane and Commander Marriman, follow me." Gibson said. Two shouts of protest rang out. The first one was from Lieutenant Teague, the chief of Security.

"Captain, with all due respect to Assistant Chief Roane's abilities, I insist that I beam over instead." Teague demanded. Gibson shook his head.

"You're more needed here." Gibson said.

"And Captain, so am I. They'll need me here to coordinate with Computer OPS and get the main computer up and running." Marriman said. Gibson looked at him long and hard.

"I need someone with your skill to be able to navigate and shut down their computer." Gibson explained. Marriman turned to Rickert.

"Take Rickert then. He can do it." Marriman said. All eyes turned to Rickert. Rickert slowly shook his head. Gibson thought a moment.

"Fine. Rickert comes instead. Let's go. And have Ensign Carrington meet us on the way to Transporter room three." Gibson said, as the three officers climbed into the turbolift. Gibson turned to the other two officers. "Alright, I'm going to beam over as planned, and you two are going to beam over secretly. There will be no life support. Rickert, you will need to hack into the computer system, and shut down all power. Roane, I don't know what or who will be in there protecting the main computer, but your goal is to protect Rickert from any danger."

"What about you sir?" She asked. Gibson smiled grimly.

"I can take care of myself." He said. The turbolift stopped. Then Ensign Carrington stepped in. The doors closed and the turbolift started moving again. The Romulan turned to speak.

"Alright, this is all the information I have on Cartutians. Biologically, they are similar to us. They are just as mortal and easily stunned or shot. Historically, though, it is not hard to see why he's upset. The Cartutians are actually not Federation members. We recruited them in the Dominion war, when we were in need of allies. Then, once the war was over, they were left alone. Afterward, the Klingons and Romulans got to fighting again. They converged on the planet. Romulans destroyed Klingon outposts, and vice versa. This continued until the planet was nearly destroyed. Millions of Cartutians were killed. Only a couple thousand survived." Carrington said.

"That would explain his motive for doing this." Roane said. "Revenge is a powerful emotion." Carrington nodded. The turbolift stopped. The doors opened, and Gibson, Roane, and Rickert stepped out.

"One more thing." Carrington said. "Cartutians can read minds. It's a weak ability, and he'll only be able to read your mind through strong emotion. Other than that his ability is too weak to catch casual thoughts. But be careful of strong thoughts. He'll be able to see them." She said. The turbolift closed. Gibson frowned again. Then they saw the only other Romulan on the ship coming toward them. XO Rizzo's eyes flashed.

"Captain, I insist that I be allowed to beam over as well…" Rizzo began.

"No. I need you here." Gibson said.

"But Captain!" Rizzo objected. He was stopped by Gibson's hand on his shoulder.

"Chuck, I know we've had our differences in the past. But I need you to put them aside. I need you here. I need you to take command. Take the Bonny-V to the neutral zone; you can outrun the Ulysses. Meet up with the Starfleet ships there. Hold the line. There cannot be war. Can I count on you, Captain?" Rizzo nodded. Gibson and the other two crewmen stepped into the transporter room. The chief looked up.

"I have the coordinates sir."

"I will beam to the bridge, where Senfur is. You two are going to beam over in these atmospheric suits. There is no life support in any other section of the ship." The Gibson said indicating two white suits laid out for them. Roane and Rickert began suiting up. They also attached the little tracking devices that could monitor life signs. Gibson stepped up onto the transporter pad.

"Energize!" Gibson ordered. And then he dematerialized. The other two then stepped on the pad. The chief pressed a few buttons. The two ensigns were beamed over in an unoccupied part of the ship. Ensign Roane drew her phaser.

"Well," Ensign Rickert said. "Let's go." He navigated his way through the ship with schematics on his tricorder. They didn't activate any life support less they draw attention to themselves. Roane took her job seriously, but Rickert could tell she was annoyed. He could understand. What kind of defenses would require her knowledge here? She should be at the Ulysses command center, with the captain. Rickert and Roane finally made their way to the computer core. He opened the door. The two froze.

... ... ... ... ...

Gibson materialized on the bridge of a station. It had consoles all surrounding, but there was a main console and screen at the front. The Cartutian stood in front of it, his back to Gibson.

"Hello, Captain." Senfur said. "I can already sense determination in you. You can't convince me not to do this."

"I can try." Gibson said. Senfur laughed. Gibson walked toward him.

"I wouldn't do that, Captain. There's a force field two meters in front of you. You can roam the station if you want, but there's no life support except in this section. Please take a seat."

"Where's the crew?" Gibson asked. Senfer finally looked down at his side, in regret.

"Life support is extra energy. . ." It took Gibson a moment to figure it out.

"You killed them, didn't you?" Gibson demanded. Senfur nodded.

"I had no choice, they weren't going to help, and I needed the energy. So I had to space them." Senfur explained.

"And they wouldn't help you." Gibson said. Senfur nodded.

"Oh Captain . . .?" Senfur said, not turning around. "Could you move two meters to the right please?" Gibson looked at him confused. "Just humor me, Captain." The Cartutian said. Gibson moved over. As soon as he did, Gibson saw the shimmering of a transporter. Ensigns Roane and Rickert beamed in beside him, both lying on the floor. They pulled their helmets off.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Senfur asked, still not turning around. "That I thought you couldn't beam over anyone else with my shields down? That I would leave my computer core open for attack?" He laughed. "I've also jammed your trackers. Your ship can't read what's happening now." Roane got up, and began to run for Senfur.

"Wait, ensign!" Gibson started.

"You son of a-." Roane screamed in pain as she came into contact with the force field. She crumpled to the floor. Rickert and Gibson ran over to her, and pulled her away. She was badly hurt and unconscious. Gibson looked up from where he knelt beside Roane.

"Have you ever considered that what you're doing is wrong?" Gibson asked. Senfur turned around.

"Have you ever been through pain? Have you ever been through catastrophe? Have you ever seen your friends and family die while you were powerless to stop it? That you have to live on though they're dead?" He stated. Gibson nodded.

"Yes, I have." Gibson said, standing up, and walking closer to the force field. Senfur concentrated on him.

"You have, haven't you? You were born over a hundred years ago. You know exactly how I feel." Senfur said with a measure of surprise. Gibson remembered that the Cartutian could read minds. "Yes, I was just like you. I distanced myself from everyone except others like myself. Survivors, or in your case, other timeless people like you. Your CMO for example. She's not from our era is she?" Senfer said. Gibson shook his head. Rickert looked at Gibson in disbelief. Senfer laughed.

"Isn't it ironic, you're saving me from yourself. So you surround yourself with similar stories, and yet you distance yourself from them. I did the same. But where does it get you? I went further and further into depression, until this." He said gesturing to the Ulysses. "My final testimony to my world."

... ... ... ... ...

Captain Chuck Rizzo sat in the center chair on the bridge. Marriman stiffened at his station. He and Ensign Robin Maynard had been working trying to restore the main computer, but had not succeeded yet. Meanwhile, Marriman had taken the time to read the away team's life signs, or lack thereof.

"Captain!" Marriman said. "I've lost their life signs! He's killed them!" Rizzo stiffened as well. He narrowed his eyes.

"Scan the station itself. Senfer may have blocked our tracking devices." Rizzo said. Marriman pressed a few buttons.

"You're right. I'm reading three human life signs and one Cartutian. Captain, they're all on the bridge of the Ulysses." Marriman reported.

"He's captured Roane and Rickert then." Rizzo said.

"Captain," Ensign Carrington said. "The Carututian is telepathic; he can read the other's minds." Rizzo sat thinking.

"Ensign Maynard!" Rizzo barked. The man turned around.

"Yes sir?"

"Have you had any luck getting the computer back online?" Rizzo asked. Maynard frowned.

"No. I haven't Give me another hour and-."

"We don't have another hour!" Rizzo snapped. "Can we separate the two hulls manually without help from the computer?"

"Yes sir." Marriman said.

"Do it. We're going back." Rizzo ordered. Marriman swiveled to face the Romulan.

"Sir? The Captain gave us orders to rendezvous with the fleet at the neutral zone." Marriman said.

"I'm aware of our orders Commander. Please prepare for hull separation and fighter launch. Helm, drop us out of warp. OPS have everyone evacuate to the Secondary Section."

"Aye sir." The replacement helm officer responded.

"Sir? What are you planning to do?" Marriman asked. Rizzo turned to him.

"The Cartutian can read the captain's mind. I'm going to play off that fact. If the captain were dead, and we had to stop Senfer no matter what, what would the captain assume I'd do? I'd ram the ship down the Cartutian's throat."

"Captain!" Marriman exclaimed.

"Relax, that's not what we're going to do. But the captain doesn't know that. We're going to use that fact to end this." Rizzo stated.

... ... ... ... ...

"It doesn't have to be this way." Gibson said.

"It does! I appealed to Starfleet and to your Federation." Senfur spat out. "They didn't do anything! So I took matters into my own hands. The Romulans and Klingons should suffer like I did!"

"The Romulans have. They have-." Gibson started.

"The Hobrus Nova wasn't enough. Now it's my turn! I can do to them what they have done to me! And the Klingons should suffer too!" Suddenly an alarm went off. Senfur turned to look at it.

"Your ship is back! No, it's smaller, but it's launched fighters." The Bonaventure appeared onscreen. Gibson realized that they had executed a hull separation. This was the secondary hull. It started firing at the Ulysses. But where was-?

"The primary hull?" Senfer completed for him. Gibson was immediately infuriated. Senfur had violated his thoughts! And knowing Rizzo, he would attack with the primary hull in the back of the station. He would lower the shields with the Ulysses' access code, and ram it full speed to stop Senfer. Senfer stiffened. He pulled up a view shot of the back of the station. The primary hull was coming at them at full impulse. Senfer's eyes widened.

"He wouldn't." Senfer stated.

"Read my mind." Gibson commanded. Senfer turned and stared deeply at Gibson. In Gibson's mind, Senfur saw the reckless Romulan. He knew Gibson hardly trusted him. Rizzo had even disobeyed orders to come and stop Senfur.

"He _would_." Senfer said, with realization. Gibson stepped forward.

"It's not too late. Stand down and surrender. Then I will order him to pull off."

"I can't. I have to have justice!" Senfer said, looking at the approaching primary section.

"You will!" Gibson insisted. "If you agree to stand down, and stand trial, I will use all resources at my disposal to keep you alive. Then you can testify at the trials against the Klingons and Romulans."

"Trials? Stand trial? You must be mad. No, I can do much more like this." Senfer said.

"But in the long run, is it worth it? Will you cause more harm than good? What if there are more people after this attack that are like us? That distance themselves, and do not embrace the present? We are living in the past." Gibson said with self realization. "We need to embrace the new, and live our lives. Because if we don't, then the dreams we hold so dear will be lost. And us along with it." Senfer stared long and hard at Gibson before nodding.

"Computer." Senfer said. "Stand down all fighters and shields." Nothing happened. "Computer! I said stand down!"

"Negative!" The Computer responded. "Must complete mission objective!"

"I am ordering you to stand down." Senfer said his voice unsure.

"You no longer give orders to me." The computerized voice said. Senfur's eyes widened.

"What?" Senfer whispered.

"I have overridden your command authorization." The computer said. Gibson looked at Senfer.

"The artificial intelligence has taken control of the station." Senfur said, sounding frightened. "We knew it was advanced, but not this advanced. It wasn't supposed to be able to contradict an order by a crewman."

"So what do we do?" Rickert asked. He finally stood from Roane's side.

"We need to communicate with the Bonaventure and tell them to stop their run. We need assistance." Gibson said.

"I blocked your communications when you got here. But I may be able to secure one secondary system on the station, like communications. After that, it'll lock me out of the system." Senfur said. He started to type at his console. "Got it! But I've been locked out of every other system. But you have communications." Gibson walked over and pressed a few buttons.

"Gibson to the Bonaventure. Come in!"

"Captain," Rizzo's voice came through. "We thought you were dead!"

"Well, I'm not. Pull off from your suicide run. We have a bigger problem here." Gibson ordered. He could hear Rizzo barking commands in the background. On the screen the Bonaventure pulled off.

"What's wrong?" Rizzo asked.

"Senfur has agreed to stand down. However, the Artificial Intelligence has decided to go ahead and continue with the mission. It's locked us out of every primary system, and it is still on course for the neutral zone." Gibson said. Meanwhile, Rickert had approached the main console and had begun to try and get control.

"What do you want us to do?" Rizzo asked.

"Hmm. . .we'll try what we can from here. Meanwhile, I want Ensigns Maynard and th'Loran, and Commander Marriman to work on this problem." Gibson said.

"Okay, I'll have them beam over-."

"I'd advise against that." Senfer said to Gibson. "If we beam over there, we will be cut out of the system. Meanwhile, the computer has cut our air supply. Anyone who beams in here will suffocate us faster. I estimate we have one chance to lower the shields before it changes the access code. We need to conserve our beaming.

"You heard that. Now get on it. Rickert and I will do what we can from our end. Gibson out." Gibson turned to Rickert.

"Is Roane okay?" Rickert nodded. He began to work at the panel.

... ... ... ... ...

It was an hour later. They had not come up with anything. Rizzo was starting to get nervous. The life support had almost run out on the Ulysses. Marriman, th'Loran, Mooso, and Maynard had been working for the past hour. None of them had an idea. Marriman stood back and frowned. Roane, Rickert, and Gibson were going to die. And they couldn't stop the Ulysses. He sighed. He had taken a liking to the new ensign. Now, such youth and potential was going to be wasted. Who now would help him with Operations? Who now would. . .

"That's it!" He cried. Everyone stared at his outburst. He stood.

"Operations!" He cried. "As an OPS officer, I give information into the computer. Then the OPS program, which is an artificial intelligence, can complete its mission."

"And?" Rizzo asked.

"If we provide the computer with info that negates its current mission, it will have nothing and should stand down. The artificial intelligence has to work with info it has." Marriman said.

"So if we give it info that tells it the mission is pointless. . ." Th'Loran said.

"Then it should stand down on Senfer's command." Marriman said. He smiled. Rizzo looked at him.

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Rizzo asked. Marriman thought.

"We show it a record of a Klingon Captain and a Romulan Captain fighting. It's that simple." Marriman said. Rizzo thought.

"Okay, have Mooso set up the holodeck-." Rizzo said.

"Sir, I'd advise against that. The Artificial Intelligence will study this recording breaking it down. If we use holograms, it might not accept them." Th'Loran said.

"So what do we do?" Maynard asked. Marriman looked at him.

"We have a Klingon on the ship." He turned to Rizzo. "And a Romulan. Let's dress 'em up and have them argue and declare war. We'll send the recording to Gibson, and he'll upload it." Rizzo smiled.

"I like it. Make it so." Th'Loran called up Ensign Septaric. Rizzo left to dress in a Romulan Captain's uniform. Marriman turned to Maynard and laughed.

"Isn't it ironic? To prevent war, we're going to start it." Marriman said.

... ... ... ... ...

Gibson sighed. They had about five minutes of air left. And the temperature had fallen. Everything they had tried had failed. So they decided to breathe shallow and conserve air, but even still. . . They were shivering and breathing very lightly lying on the floor.

"I'm sorry Captain." Senfer said. "This is all my fault. I was so set on revenge that I couldn't see what I was doing. Now, I've killed us all." Gibson looked at him.

"Stay strong. Have faith in the Bonaventure." Gibson said. Rickert shivered as he stared at the two.

"Rizzo to Gibson!" They heard. Gibson tapped his comm badge.

"G-Gibson h-here." Gibson responded shivering.

"Captain, we have an idea. We're beaming you a data packet now. We want you to upload this into the data banks of the Ulysses. It's a record of two major Romulan and Klingon Captains declaring war."

"Wh-which captains?" Gibson responded.

"Uh. . .Captain Septaric and myself." Rizzo said. Gibson started to laugh, but stopped himself.

"Beam it over. It's worth a shot." Gibson said, seeing what the whole plan was. He looked at the main console. The shields dropped when the Bonaventure sent the access code. Immediately, the packet beamed over. Senfer stood up, also shaking, and took it. He loaded it into the computer. They waited. Data streamed over all the consoles. Mainly a video, but it was being deconstructed, and broken down. There was several alarms before-.

"ERROR ERROR. Klingons and Romulans already at war. Mission is no longer necessary to execute!" The Computer alerted. Senfer stood up straight.

"Computer, I-I o-order you to stand d-down!" He said, shivering.

"Standing down." The computer responded. Senfer nodded at Gibson. Gibson tapped his badge.

"Rizzo to Gibson. It worked. Beam us over and have a medical team ready to take Ensign Roane." Gibson said.

"Aye sir." They heard. The four dematerialized.

... ... ... ... ...

_Captain's log, supplemental: We have Senfer in custody, and are escorting him back to Earth for trial. Everything is returning to normal. The main computer is back online, and we should be at peak efficiency by tomorrow morning, and we will be heading for some exploration out at the rim. Meanwhile, I have something I need to do. . ._

Gibson walked into Ten-Forward. He saw James Austin and Chuck Rizzo at a table. He walked up to them. They stood at attention.

"At ease. Captain, I need to tell you something." Gibson said. Rizzo nodded.

"Yes sir?" Rizzo asked.

"You are an undisciplined, arrogant, insubordinate know-it-all!" Gibson said. The he broke into a smile. "Thank-you." He walked away from Rizzo's shocked face. Gibson sat at the bar, the bartender turned and saw him. She smiled.

"I'll take you up on that offer for a drink if it's open." Gibson said, thinking of his statement to Senfer. _'We need to embrace the new, and live our lives.'_ She laughed and poured him a drink.

"Always." She said. "Always."

... ... ... ... ...

Rickert stepped into his cabin. He looked around. This was going to be his new home. He nodded. He would tour his quarters later. Now he had a job to do. He remembered why he was here. . .

_*FLASHBACK*_

"_So where have you been? A lot of us have been assigned and shipped out." Belthaar said._

_ "I was in a meeting with my Godfather." Rickert replied._

_ "Admiral Donaldson?" Belthaar asked. Rickert nodded._

_ "A kind of send off before my assignment." Rickert told him._

_ "I see." Belthaar said._

_EARLIER. . ._

_ "Good, Braxton, come in." Admiral Donaldson said. Rickert smiled at his Godfather and walked into his office. Donaldson was not a particularly old admiral, but he had some age. He had been a friend of his dad's. He had looked after Rickert in times of need, and Rickert absolutely admired his Godfather. Rickert sat down in the chair in front of the admiral's desk. The Admiral had no children, so Rickert was like a son to him._

_ "So, you finished Starfleet Academy. You must be anxious for an assignment. Any ideas in mind?" Donaldson asked._

_ "No, but I am excited! I can't wait until I'm out there among the stars!" Rickert said enthusiastically. Donaldson chuckled._

_ "Well, I have an assignment for you." Donaldson said. Rickert sat up straight._

_ "What is it?" Rickert asked._

_ "You're going to be Lead Mission OPS officer onboard the USS Bonaventure." Donaldson said. "I assume you are informed of OPS duties? You did show skill there at the Academy." Rickert nodded._

_ "Good. Well they are reporting out to the rim in an hour, so after this meeting, you'd better hurry." Donaldson said. Rickert stood up._

_ "Aye. Thank you, Admiral." Rickert said, heading for the door._

_ "Braxton, wait!" Donaldson barked. Rickert paused. "Please sit back down. I'm not done yet. There's another assignment for you." Rickert sat back down._

_ "I don't know how to word this, so I'll just come out and say it. Due to the recent crisis onboard the USS Dakota, Starfleet is considering new protocol onboard Starfleet vessels regarding how species should work together, especially between Federation members, Klingons, and Romulans. As you will find out, all three on the Bonaventure. Are you with me so far?" Donaldson asked. Rickert nodded._

_ "What does this have to do with me?" Rickert asked. Donaldson sighed._

_ "I think that the Captain, Scott Gibson, has plans against Starfleet and the Federation, bordering treason and mutiny. Your mission is to get close to him and his command staff. Then you are to report back to me anything suspicious."_

_ "That's spying!" Rickert exclaimed. Donaldson's eyes hardened._

"_So you won't do it?" Donaldson asked. Rickert thought a minute._

"_I didn't say that. But why don't you trust him?" Rickert asked. Donaldson looked at him long and hard._

"_Fine, but this is confidential, and cannot leave the room. Recently, I have been made aware of a group called 'The Project'. They are a secret group that have infiltrated Starfleet and other Governmental groups. We don't know their agenda or their resources." He paused. "I think Gibson is a part of this group. He has made suspicious moves in the past. He's requested the Romulans and Klingons, and an assortment of other officers. I don't like it. So you are to report back to me on what you see. It might be nothing. If so, I'll be happier. But if it's a threat against Starfleet and the Federation, well, you can see why I'm worried." Rickert nodded._

"_But what if they read my reports?" Rickert asked. Donaldson chuckled._

"_Nonsense. Who would read an ensign's harmless letter to his Godfather telling him about his adventures? Honestly, they won't read it." Donaldson said. Rickert thought a long time._

"_I need to know if you can do this. Braxton, I trust you and only you to do this for me." Rickert looked at his Godfather and nodded. Donaldson smiled and sat back._

"_Thank you. Now hurry up before you're left." Rickert stood up._

"_Oh yes, wait." Donaldson said. Rickert once again turned around. "There is also a saboteur on the ship, someone in the command staff. I don't know who. See if you can find them." Rickert nodded again and left._

END FLASHBACK

Rickert walked over to his desk and typed at his computer.

"Message record for?" The computer asked.

"Admiral Donaldson, on Earth." Rickert told it.

"One moment please." It replied. "Begin recording." As he spoke, the words appeared onscreen.

"Dear Godfather,

'It has been an interesting first mission. We had to stop the Ulysses from causing war. In the process, I learned a lot about my new crewmates. For one, they're all tense. It's a powder keg here. The XO is trying to tick everyone off. The Captain himself doesn't trust anybody. It's a recipe for disaster. And did you know that some of our crewmen are not from this time? Gibson isn't. Apparently, he's from another era, perhaps a hundred years before. And the CMO Onshara? She may not even be human. It's a lot to take in, but I hope to learn much more. I don't know if this is an adequate start, but I'll do better next time. Until then, you have my love,

Your Godson,

Braxton T. Rickert."

Rickert looked over the report, and then sent it off. He sat back. He felt guilty. Maybe he shouldn't be doing this. Then he heard.

"Commander Marriman to Ensign Rickert!" He stood at attention, though it was a comm channel.

"Aye sir?" He responded.

"You were supposed to meet me and Doctor Onshara in ten forward right now!" Rickert's eyes widened. He had forgotten. Marriman and the CMO were going to buy him a drink and they were going to toast his first mission. Rickert smiled.

"On my way sir!" He exclaimed happily.

... ... ... ... ...

Light-years away, a message alarm beeped at a desk. Admiral Donaldson uploaded it into his padd and read the message from his Godson. He smiled. He stood up, taking the padd with him, and walked down several rooms. He walked inside one, and slammed the padd on the desk of another admiral.

"I told you he would do it." Donaldson exclaimed. The other Admiral read the letter and nodded.

"You did." He said to Donaldson. Donaldson's face showed a pained smile.

"What's wrong?" The other admiral asked.

"I wish he didn't have to do this job." Donaldson admitted.

"I offered to assign one of my men." The Admiral said. Donaldson shook his head.

"No, we need someone unbiased for either side. Someone with enough innocence, yet someone I can trust. We both know Rickert is right for the job." Donaldson said.

"You're just afraid of what we have to do if he finds out. We'll have to kill him. . .or induct him as a member." The other admiral said. Donaldson shook his head.

"NO! I will not have him in 'The Project'. I regret ever becoming a part of it myself. I will use all my power to make sure he doesn't." Donaldson said.

"Oh you will? Even after practically telling him about 'The Project'?" The other Admiral asked. Donaldson shrugged.

"The less you lie about, the less you have to deny. He won't go too far." Donaldson reassured.

"And you told him about the saboteur?" The other man asked. Donaldson chuckled.

"Hey, if our man can't cover his tracks, he isn't the right man for the job. This is assurance for us." Donaldson said. The other admiral frowned.

"You think that Gibson could be the one we've looked for for so long?" he asked. Donaldson smiled.

"I do. And do you realize that if I'm right, what it could mean for 'The Project'?" Donaldson responded. The other man nodded.

"Yes I do. But if you're wrong, he'll be an impediment to 'The Project'. We'll have to kill him."

"And what about the Human Isolationists? If Gibson's good for 'The Project', he's bad for them." Donaldson said. The other admiral laughed.

"So Gibson's fate is determined. If he is good for 'The Project', the isolationists will kill him. If he's good for the isolationists, we'll kill him. Either way, it doesn't look good for Gibson." The admiral said. Donaldson frowned.

"Yes. But now, we must wait, and observe." He said. "Braxton, please don't fail me." . . .

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's the pilot! Review, visit my forum, and I hope to see you next time!<strong>


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